Almost is a beautifully produced monograph from Guy Archard exploring the overlap of beauty and decay, self and other, and dreams and reality. The lack of text allows the viewer to meander through the poetic photographs and create their own storyline. Many of the photographs are decaying Polaroids, worn with time. Some of them appear in the book several times, having changed ever so slightly. The contents of a windowsill are photographed twice — first with a branch, then with a vase. Polaroids are reproduced without a latent image. Photographic chemistry is apparent in Almost, making a case for photography's ability to hold a memory long after it has passed. But even the photograph is subject to decay, implying the photographic process may be an exercise in futility. The book is beautifully produced, printed on Japanese paper and bound in Japanese cloth with a tipped-in image on the cover.

Right Here, Right Now documents the life of David Fonseca, a Portuguese singer-songwriter and musician. Fonseca purchased a Polaroid camera in 1998 that didn't leave his side during the overnight success of his band's debut album, a success that took him all over the world. The photographs are not titled nor are their date or locations given, but this information doesn't seem particularly important as we get the sense that Fonseca is in a different city every night. The photographs are a bit frenetic, but all are well composed with attention to light and shadow, and invite us on a journey around the world.

Citizen by Ingvar Kenne is a cross-section of various citizens, not a collection based on race, gender, political affiliation, economic similitude, or social agenda. They're simply photographs of people who spend their days doing very different things to make a living. Priests, prostitutes, teachers, waitresses, artists, celebrities and sex offenders fill the pages of Citizen — their occupation, city of residence and their name is all we know about them, with the exception of what we can garner from their portrait. Every subject is positioned in the center of the frame and photographed utilizing the same lighting techniques, film and camera format. These aesthetic decisions render all of the subjects in Citizen in a kind of democratic cross-section of people from all walks of life.

Zift is a visual study of the black facades of buildings in Istanbul. The black facades are ominous, authoritative and seem to signify power. "Zift" refers to a type of tar paint used to protect a building from rain and humidity. The resulting photographs don't actually focus on the facades themselves, but the dark, subconscious effect permeated by them. Decay is evident in all of the photographs, making the zift's application an almost fruitless effort.

Assembly is a playful exploration of a group of young girls moving in unison — jumping, running and twirling — in various natural landscapes. The photographer employs an enticing color palette reminiscent of Japanese watercolor paintings. The gentle, muted colors provide soft backgrounds from which the subjects stand out — allowing the viewer to pause on the angular features and positions of the subjects within the frame. Subtle idiosyncrasies become more noticeable through this technique. In one plate, the assembly is photographed with blankets covering their heads — but one girl’s head curiously pokes out from beneath. Their faces are either abstracted by the camera’s position or just too small to make out any detail. These are not photographs about any of the girls, but about all of them moving as a single body.

The black and white photographs in Andre Cepeda's new monograph, Rien, are dark and haunting. Naked bodies, skinned animals, cement and steel cover the pages of Rien. Formal connections are made between the photographs; naked bodies are followed by animal pelts, a photograph of a human spine is placed between two photographs of electrical wires in the sequence. The sequence itself is an invitation, inviting viewers to delve into the dark waters of their own subconscious, interpreting and experiencing the strange connections inherent in every day life. The word "rien" in French literally means "of nothing" — as in, "it's nothing," or "don't worry about it." It is a playful title meant to remind us that this is just life. Don't worry about it.

Printed in an edition of 500 copies, O Perfume Do Boi (or, The Perfume of the Bull), explores life in the outskirts of Portugal. The photographs in O Perfume Do Boi run the gamut in terms of subject matter — natural landscapes, portraits, acrobats and animals cover its pages — making the narrative abstract, if present at all.

Bees is a compelling narrative that follows the photographer's experience with self-inflicted injury. The photographs are lyrical and seductive, despite their subject matter. One can't help but empathize with the subjects, whose scars, bruises and fresh incisions are photographed with incredible sensitivity and subtlety. Their portraits are interspersed with photographs of every day objects and scenes. Do the cutters seek personal redemption through sacrifice or are they haunted by ghosts of their past? Sometimes it is unclear whether they are in a state of deep pleasure or deep pain, allowing for multiple interpretations to take shape.

Best wishes,
Erin Azouz
photo-eye Newsletter Editor

photo-eye Auctions

Perhaps no photographer has captured the poetry of modern urban life more brilliantly than André Kertész, And nowhere does he bring more poignant meaning to his own admonition, "to give meaning to everything," than in the splendid Day of Paris, one of the undisputed mid-century classics! Up this week: a sweet copy in the very scarce dust jacket. Along with Kertész's crystalline vision of 20s & 30s Paris, pre-war, Bauhaus-inspired Modernism is represented by the fantastic facsimile reprint of Moi Ver's Paris as well as the important Czech title, Photography Sees the Surface (Fotografie vidí Povrch), a collaboration between Ladislav Sutnar & Jaromir Funke. Also on the block: limited editions from Bernd & Hilla Becher; Elger Esser; Herb Ritts and Don Hong-Oai; elusive books by Jitka Hanzlova; Blossfeldt's Art Forms in Nature and MUCH MORE! Be sure to check out Eric's weekly presentation, where he opines about some of this week's offerings! As always, thanks for looking!!

What's on your shelves? For inquiries regarding the sale of a single book or print, or an entire library or collection, contact Eric Miles, Director of Rare Books & Online Auctions

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